1. Civic Engagement in Action: Shakespeare & Service Learning Tiara Thompson, Sandra Loera, and Phil Bode
Because Shakespeare holds such a prominent position in English-speaking world culture, it is important to open and expand access to understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of Shakespeare to a constituency as wide-ranging as possible. To achieve this goal, Service-Learning students in ENGL 345 – Shakespeare’s Tragedies and Histories in Spring 2010 partnered with Lowell Elementary School for a fun and educational after-school program
Over six weeks undergraduates in ENGL 345 taught a group of fourth through sixth graders about Shakespeare primarily through directing the elementary-school students in a shortened version of The Tempest.
We met with the elementary students four days a week (Monday through Thursday) from 3:15 until 4:45 p.m. The culminating activity of the project will be a performance in front of the school’s fourth through sixth grade classes as well as parents and other family and friends on April 23rd, 2010 (Shakespeare’s 446th birthday) followed by a one-day tour with performances at two other Boise elementary schools on April 29th, 2010.
The elementary students have both worked hard and had a lot of fun. They have also realized that Shakespeare isn’t incomprehensible but actually makes perfect sense. Shakespeare gives language and action to struggles for power and control, for the search for order among seeming chaos that has immediate relevance to everyone, including 21st Century fourth, fifth and sixth graders.
“During one of the practices of Act 2 our young actors started rearranging themselves to figure out the best way to be facing as they recognized which character they would be talking to. That took our in-class performance group two read-throughs and a discussion just to get down!”
- Rochelle Cunningham
“The [Lowell] kids are gaining an under-standing and appreciation of Shakespeare through this project, particularly the way language is used.”
- Justin Boatwright
“Noah [the Lowell student playing the part of Ariel] has offered some great insight into Ariel, suggesting that Prospero doesn’t actually have any magic and that Ariel is the main source of power in the play. This led me to examine the text further and write my reflection paper for class on the support that I found that backed up Noah’s initial interpretation of the text.”
- Kathleen Hamilton
ENGL 346 – Shakespeare’s Comedies & Romances Instructor: Matthew C. Hansen